Creating a Wildlife Friendly Garden

Creating a Wildlife Friendly Garden

Many of us are looking to ways to support our local wildlife. Here are ten ways how to create a wildlife haven to preserve our birds, insects and animals and build habitats in our gardens:

• Place a nest box in your garden – an open fronted nest box placed on a wall, shed or tree will give birds somewhere to nest in and raise their young during the spring and summer and potentially somewhere to roost in during the winter. Make sure you place the box out of the wind and rain, usually a North-Easterly direction is best. Allow a clear flight path to the box but make sure it is not in a too obvious place where it can easily be found by predators or disturbed by people.
• Create piles of logs and leaf litter – this will house plenty of spiders and other small animals which birds can feed upon. Ivy is also great, providing shelter and invertebrate food during winter and spaces for birds to nest in in spring.
• Make a bug hotel – a fun holiday activity to do with the kids, you could make a large scale ‘bug hotel’ from stacked wood pallets, bricks, pipes and cardboard and natural materials. On a smaller scale, you could make a hollow in a tree or a hole in a branch and fill it with sticks, bamboo and straw then see what lodgers come to stay.
• Dig a pond – even a tiny pool adds loads of value for wildlife. If you have a small space, use a bucket or trough. If you are planning a large pond, make sure there are stones and branches to help wildlife get in and out. Ponds are best filled with unchlorinated water from a water butt and positioned out of full sun or full shade.
• Make a hole in your fence to let hedgehogs visit your garden – leave a gap in your fence. This will link habitats together, encouraging wildlife such as hedgehogs and frogs to move from plot-to-plot.
• Put out pots of bee-friendly plants – if you have a small outdoor space, you can still easily attract wildlife by placing pots of bug friendly blooms on balconies or window ledges. We particularly love how easy Beebombs have made this! #bringthebeesback (include link: https://www.beebombs.com/)
• Plant a tree or hedge – they will provide a lasting source of food and nesting site for birds. You might also be inspired to take part in the RSPB’s Birdwatch (include link: https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/birdwatch/)
• Leave out a fresh supply of water for the birds – while we enjoy the sun, our favourite garden birds like robins, finches and blackbirds could be left struggling as the heat dries up natural water sources. By leaving out a supply of fresh, clean, water both to drink and bathe in will help our feathered friends through the extreme conditions.
• Let the grass grow – probably the simplest step of all, by letting some or all your lawn grow will make space for many plant and insect species, including butterflies and wildflowers. Mowing your lawn every 4 weeks gives ‘short-grass’ plants such as daisies and white clover enough time to flower in profusion, increasing nectar production by tenfold.
• Compost – making and using your own compost will naturally enrich your soil and provide a habitat for worms, woodlice and many other animals including frogs and slow worms.